Trotting Along

Run Date: 08/22/09
Location: Arcadia County Park
Pace: 3 min. run/2 min. walk for 5 laps; switched to 2 min. run/3 min. walk
Run Time: 37:30

This run was my first time running around the outside perimeter of the park, including the outside of the golf course. I usually run along the paths within the park, but thought a consistent 2.57 mile run sounded appealing, and a much better alternative to running around the Arcadia High track just across the street.

I started this run knowing full well I didn't have that much inhaler medication, and knew I had to take extra precautions not to overdo it.

I was happy that there was a lot of grass along the outside, and I chose to run on the grass to soften the impact on my joints. Even though the day was already warming up, there were a lot of trees along the patch to provide shade. Roots added a little footwork challenge at some parts. It didn't seem to take long to run the north end of the park, and turned to head southwest.

This length became more challenging with the traffic and driveways, and the tree shade the lined the north edge was mostly absent along this stretch. Not long after turning the corner I felt myself losing a bit of steam and the run intervals slowed to the pace of a labored trot. I would have otherwise appreciated running with Methodist Hospital across the street for me, but I was focusing on pacing myself within my limits to really concentrate on anything else.

I wasn't looking forward to the south side of the run, as I'd be running along the golf course and the fence that kept me out. About halfway through this stretch, I finally felt a pang of lightheadedness, followed by cramping. This happened at the very beginning of my 6th lap run, so I decided to walk the rest of the three minutes and switch to run for two minutes. It wasn't until I slowed down that the cramping subsided a bit, something I thought I'd experience much earlier on (It was a particular type of cramping - you know, the feeling gals like me get when my Aunt Flo hits me in the babymaker with her red suitcase).

Those two minute run intervals were pretty labored for the rest of the run, with the cramping persisting even during the walk break. I was happy that the east side had a lot of trees, providing shade. What made me even happier was that this last stretch wasn't so long and I had completed the run.

Since I never ran this route at the park, I had no way of knowing how long it would take me to get around the whole thing. I was somewhat impressed by my time and my average mile pace of 14:34 given my challenges, but when I was training for my last marathon, I'd meander the paths within the park for 45 minutes without really knowing my distance.

I'd most likely run this route again, but if I can figure out the distance within the park itself, I'd much rather run around where there is less car traffic and more shade.

You can see more technical details of my run by checking my training log.

Take My Breath Away

Following this year's LA Marathon weekend where I rode the Acura LA Bike Tour, I've tried to stay active during the summer, and was somewhat successful at doing so. I've managed to get myself out and hiking, cycling, swimming and a bit of running. Even with the amount of activity I was doing, whenever I went for a run, I felt like I was slow and ran out of steam, and attributed it to being out of shape.

I'm really more built as a sprinter on top of the fact that I have poor stamina due to my have physically-induced asthma, so it’s a constant challenge to pace myself for the long run.

Getting my running watch’s battery replaced was going to help solve a lot of my problems. The only way I'll be able to survive a marathon is by going at a run/walk ratio, which is perfectly paced out with my watch. I was really excited to be able to monitor myself better, and see if the pace I was going is up to scratch to where I should be.

I was going for broke and was going to see if the three minute run, two minute walk pace was manageable for me on Tuesday. Things seemed to start of good and strong, and I was able to keep up with my friend who’s usually a strong, sustained runner, but ran intervals with me that day because her knees were bothering her.

I knew I've been running out of my inhaler medication for some time, and it's a critical thing for me to use prior to any excessive physical exertion. It wasn't long before I felt short of breath one minute into the run, and I could feel and hear myself wheezing, something I haven't done in a while. I tried to keep going as best I could, and it came to the point that I was running, but very, very slowly.

Around the same time, my friend’s knees really started to hurt, and when we were about halfway around, our short sprints were slow, painful tasks. We then took a five minute walk break and did the rest of the run on a three minute walk, two minute run. We finished the run at a pace we could tolerate, and felt good, albeit a bit pained.

We managed to run around the Rose Bowl (just over 3 miles) in just under 42 minutes – which was faster than a 15 minute mile pace. Despite our run’s handicaps, we still managed to get in at a decent pace.

In the end, my efforts to get myself back into shape have been successful, if only my lungs could keep up. I’m going to have to take it easy, for I can’t get a refill on my inhaler medication until next week when my doctor comes back from vacation, but will remain relatively active in the meantime.